Food drives needed ahead of holiday season

The holidays are right around the corner and many families are already struggling to get food on the table. That's where our local organizations come in to help, but they may need a little help themselves. Let's bring in Rob Lamke with Metropolitan Ministries. Rob, thank you so much for staying up late with us tonight. Oh, it's my pleasure. Thanks for having us. Well, Metro Ministries needs more food drives to be planned by community partners. just tell us how critical this need is you know it is really critical we're we're behind from where we have been in past years and it's the the food drives that give us all of those holiday staples uh that that families need during those holidays so the the hams the turkeys uh mashed potatoes um it really gives us that variety then for when families are shopping in our holiday tents to really pick the things that are going to be special for their own holiday meals. Yeah, and we're seeing video of people working at the holiday tent right now. And anyone who's been there or volunteered or been served themselves knows just how busy it is and how much those donations are needed. So for those who may not realize the scale of the need right now, what does a full holiday meal box actually mean to a local family in crisis? it means so much um not only does it give them the opportunity to have that holiday meal and from that meal the memories that they're going to remember from that holiday whether it be thanksgiving christmas or any other holiday um but it's also going to give them a couple days worth of meals in there um and appropriately we call our meal boxes boxes of hope and and i i like to think that it gives everyone who receives one of those some hope that the community especially the tampa bay community cares about them and wants them to have a great holiday right it's not just the the individual corn or the stuffing or as we get closer uh to to the holidays right christmas that the toys that they get it really is about that feeling that special the special thing they feel on the inside when they receive that and they're together and get to enjoy it uh and for our local businesses schools and neighborhood groups that want to step up and host a drive what's the easiest way for them to get started well you said it what's the easiest way and it is super easy you just go to metromin.org and then you click on our holiday central tab and all of your opportunities are going to be on there to host a food drive volunteer for our tents uh do some virtual grocery shopping uh metromin.org and our holiday central tab any any little bit helps whether you're hosting a food drive or you can just give a give a little bit of yourself right now. All the options are right there on the website. So we hope people can feel that generosity in their hearts and make these holidays extra special for our neighbors here in the community. Rob, thank you so much for joining us. Thank you.